Rosewood Schloss Fuschl – the 1461 hunting lodge that earned Three Keys

On the eastern shore of Lake Fuschl, half an hour from Salzburg, a turreted hunting lodge raised in 1461 for the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg has become one of Austria's most closely watched addresses. Originally constructed in 1461 as a hunting lodge for the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg, Schloss Fuschl served as the backdrop for legendary hunts and court gatherings for over three centuries. Rosewood Schloss Fuschl opened its doors to guests on 1 July 2024, marking the brand's second property in Austria following the opening of Rosewood Vienna in 2022. The castle's fame runs deeper than its new owners: the property has hosted film stars such as Romy Schneider from the famed Sissi film trilogy, partially produced in Schloss Fuschl, alongside foreign dignitaries. Today it comprises 98 guestrooms, including 42 suites and six chalets, with six unique food and beverage outlets adorning the property, and Asaya, Rosewood's wellness concept, with eight treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a fitness centre. The MICHELIN Guide gives it Three Keys, its top distinction for a hotel stay.

01The house

Although Schloss Fuschl was transformed into a hotel in the late 1940s, it made headlines when it was crowned the newest jewel in the Rosewood Hotels portfolio in 2022, and a two-year renovation followed as admirers waited to see what would become of their landmark. The castle had long since entered Austrian popular memory: it was the setting for the 1950s Sissi film trilogy about Empress Elisabeth, and its halls still hold an on-site museum dedicated to her.

Three design studios shaped the rebuild: GA Group handled the public spaces and guestrooms, an Austrian firm brought the heritage suites and chalets to life, and the German practice Dippold designed all six food and beverage outlets. Restorers uncovered original architectural elements in the castle's tower and folded them back into the new interiors, while a 15th-century low timberline fireplace and historic window ornaments were carefully reinstated rather than replaced. In the lobby, Old Masters including works attributed to François Boucher and Friedrich von Nerly line the corridors alongside a monumental, upside-down portrait of his wife by the contemporary German painter Georg Baselitz.

02Rooms and suites

The house now comprises 98 guestrooms, including 42 suites and six chalets, the property having been reshaped to preserve and rebirth Austrian tradition rather than freeze it. Every room carries a hand-painted minibar depicting the four seasons, the work of local Austrian artist Marie Hartig, while original architectural details unearthed during restoration of the tower have been built into the contemporary décor.

Insider tip

Between the UNESCO towns of Salzburg and Hallstatt, on the Fuschlsee shoreline.

The Deluxe Heritage Suite and the Kaiser Franz Joseph House open onto panoramas of the lake, their plaster and woodwork subtly referencing the castle's centuries-old heritage. Some of the standalone chalets go further still, adding private saunas and fireplaces that look straight over the water.

03Where to eat

Six venues make up the house's dining programme. At its centre is Schloss Restaurant, the flagship room where Salzkammergut classics meet playful reinterpretation — blunzn, Austria's blood sausage, reworked as gyoza, or a saddle of Mattigtal lamb — drawn from a cellar holding more than 1,400 Austrian and international wines collected over decades.

Seeterrasse brings a looser, lakeside register, its 'mountain to the sea' menu running from steakhouse-level burgers to a bouillabaisse built on Alpine prawns, all eaten with an unobstructed view of the water. Vinothek, a rustic terrace tavern designed as a refuge for hikers, locals and overnight guests alike, serves regional Jause platters of bread, ham and cheese in a wood-lined Wirtshaus setting. Sisi Teesalon, the patisserie lounge named for the castle's film legacy, still serves the original Schloss Fuschl torte, created in 1992, alongside handmade pralines and tea blends. Down by the water, the seasonal See Club brings the spirit of a beach club to the Austrian Alps.

04The bar

Schloss Bar sits at the heart of the house, its walls hand-painted by Marie Hartig in tones drawn from the Salzkammergut landscape, built around a restored 15th-century low timberline fireplace that has been reinstated rather than reproduced. It is the room for a classic cocktail before or after dinner, poured by bartenders who treat the ritual seriously.

An intimate Whisky Room, tucked off the main bar, offers a smaller, more private setting for dark spirits, schnapps and wine, with its own selection of exclusive bar snacks for guests who want to retreat from the main room.

05Spa and wellbeing

Asaya, Rosewood's wellness concept, occupies roughly 15,000 square feet on the property, with two pools, a hairdressing salon and a gym, alongside eight treatment rooms and a fitness centre built into the hillside above the lake.

Outside, an 11-kilometre circular trail loops the entire lake through pasture grazed by cows and sheep, while the estate's own fishery supplies smoked fish and the daily catch to the kitchens — a working link to the land that predates the hotel by centuries.

06The neighbourhood

Schloss Fuschl sits in the Salzkammergut, conveniently placed between the UNESCO World Heritage towns of Salzburg and Hallstatt, with the lake itself ringed by forest and framed by the first rise of the Alps. Central Salzburg, Mozart's city, is roughly 13 miles away by road.

The reopening in July 2024 made Schloss Fuschl the brand's second address in Austria, following Rosewood Vienna in 2022 — part of a wider push by the group into the country's grandest historic buildings. In summer, the lakefront Seeclub adds cabanas and direct swimming access, turning the castle's private shoreline into its own small resort within the resort.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.